Author: twoznek

Husband...Father...Pastor...

Dream: Living the dream

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Faith discovers great dreams. Living the dream is not about amusement, fantasy or having all the answers. Dreams require pursuit to be lived. Living the dream is living by faith. It is the bedrock for both the great and small.

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.” ~ Hebrews 11:1-2

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” ~ Hebrews 11:6

Will happen, not might
We live for our dream because it will happen. This is not a gamble, this is a reality. It fully understands adversity, but adversity is couched in certainty. As people of history and now passionately pursued God, they know that what is to come will. Dreams exist not in vapors, but in stone. “If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country–a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.” ~ Hebrews 11:15-16

Define great
Living the dream is not about having great things, but doing great things with what you have. Jesus tells a parable of a master who gave his servants Talents (money). To one he gave 5, another 2 and a third 1. The master judged the servants based on what they did with what they had. The servants with 5 and 2 Talents doubled and were blessed. The servant with 1 Talent nothing with it. This angered the master. Everyone will not be great in how society views greatness, but we can all do  great things! (We’re expected to.) Think growth, instead of achievement.

Hidden treasure is worthless
If a man hides a pot of gold and it is never found the gold is worth less than food scraps or dung. Food scraps and dung turns back to dirt and is usable. Such at least does something. Hidden gold does nothing. Living the dream has nothing to do with status or possessions, but everything to do with God. A better day is coming. Until then, what are you doing to pursue that?

Pursuit more than destination
The pursuit of the dream is more important than the destination. If we pursue God, He will lead. You can’t steer a still ship. If you want the dream you have to go for it. God gives to those who pursue. Pick a direction and pursue it. And, know that God will likely change your course. Or, He may not. Either way, we must move.

The Bottom Line:
Live the dream. Don’t worry about what to do or even where to start. Focus on pursuing God and working with what you have where you are at. God will lead. So dream, but don’t hide your ‘Talent.’ Reflect on this though:

“But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.” ~ John 3:21

Dream: You say that I’m a dreamer…

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Dreamers pursue God. They are not inward focused, self-serving, trite or vengeful. Dreamers pursue reflecting who God is.

“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” ~ Philippians 1:6

“Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” ~ Philippians 3:13-14

The goal beyond self
We choose our attitude. The book of Philippians focuses on Paul’s attitude. This attitude, and the whole mindset of the book is a passionate pursuit of God. The book is an internal focused book. It is an attitude check. The goal Paul refers to is beyond self. The key is found in Phil 2:5- having the same attitude that was also in Christ Jesus.

Being is the focus
The best dreams are ones that focus on being, not doing. If there is any lesson that is crystal clear in the Bible it is this: we cannot earn favor with God. Doing, achieving, possessing means nothing if we fail to be who God wants us to be. Focusing on who we want to be will have greater impact on what we do. Our attitude affects everything. Dreamers need humility. Great leaders and people in life show this attitude. Focus on being humble. It works! Look at Christ.

God is the dream
Regardless of our history, our present or our future, we get to be with God. This is why our attitude and our focus on being is so important. No matter how good or bad, rich or poor, healthy or ill, we can posses our dream. This is why the best dreams are the ones that focus on being. A slave can be a dreamer. An alcoholic can be a dreamer. A murder can be a dreamer. A single mom can be a dreamer. An orphan can be a dreamer. Dreams are not about our situation but our destination. The Gospel forges our dreams in Christ, not our wishful thinking or our own power.

Why be a dreamer
There is more to life than now. There is more to life than our preferences and whims. Dreams move us beyond ourself. Dreamers pursue being the kind of person God designed us to be in the places He puts us. God did not create us as an afterthought. God does not save people to merely escape Hell. There is a story, a masterpiece that is your life. Pursuing God paints this work of art.

The Bottom Line:
In the craziness of life, no matter how upside down it us, we have a choice: we can pursue self or we can pursue God. God made us to reflect who He is. Perhaps it is time we take God seriously. There is a work that He wants to accomplish in our lives. It starts with an attitude change and a focus on being who He wants us to be. Reflect on this thought:

“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.” ~ Ephesians 3:20-12

Dream: Mr. Sandman…

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God is the Sandman, the author and artist of a masterpiece that is you. Dreams are not fairy tales, events, or possessions. Dreams are reflections of God’s glory in and from your life.

“The Lord God formed man of dust from the ground…The Lord God fashioned into a women the rib which He had taken from the man…”
~ Genesis 2:7 & 22

“God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created them male and female He created them. God blessed them and said, ‘Be fruitful and multiply…’”
~ Genesis 1:27-28a

The God who fills things
We believe in the God who fills things. God filled creation, He filled the temple, He filled our days and He fills our very being. God is a designer, an artist, a musician, God is a dreamer. He thrives and exists in community. God is as poetic as He is just. The very concept of dream is rooted in the purposeful creation of you… ‘that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.’

God as creator
The order of creation mirrors and exhibits God’s desire to fill things. Days 1 through 3 God creates the space and then fills it days 4 through 6. Upon His good creation God placed the crown jewel: mankind. From the sand God made us, purposefully, artistically, in community. Mankind was not a blank slate of random chance, God made mankind the visible finite image of the infinite God. He blessed the human race. And God commanded mankind to fill the Earth.

Time to dream
Starting on Day 7 of Creation, God creates the Sabbath. Sabbath, meaning 7th day, also caries the concept of rest. It was time to stop and smell the roses. It was a time to reflect. It was a time to rest. Later in Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy God institutes feasts where His people could celebrate, learn, reflect, teach, and ultimately enjoy Him. The Sabbath and celebrations focuses on one key thing: to remember God. In remembering God, He reminds us of who He wants us to be.

God is the Sandman
The danger of not dreaming is forgetting God. Lack of dreams is not a loss of purpose, a depletion of vision, an absence innovation, busyness or exhaustion. A lack of dream or dreams is forgetting who artistically sculpted you from dust. God forged dreams in the purpose for your life, for you carry His image. And, once in Christ, that purpose, that dream becomes crystal clear. You are not a mistake. God made you. He gave you a dream.

The Bottom Line:
Even with the confusion of life, we must remember God. A dream answers this question: How is my life to glorify God? How is my life to reflect who God is because I carry His image? Whether you naturally dream, are in limbo, are busy, are apathetic, or life has you exhausted, reflect on this thought:

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. ~ Ephesians 2:10

Dream

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A good friend of mine shared his observation on how many students don’t have dreams anymore. (I won’t give his name, but he’s quite the herald.) I’ll be discussing this topic this week to generate some thinking. Hopefully it will be helpful.

Linx & Stuff

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Happy Friday & October 1st everyone!

Great thoughts on Greek & ministry. There is more to Greek than just word studies. We often hear word studies, but not syntax. Perhaps neither should be used a we speak English and not Koine Greek. Would you agree or disagree?
http://ntresources.com/blog/?p=1020

Time management is not everything. How do you mange your energy?
http://web.hbr.org/email/archive/managementtip.php?date=092810

Discovery on a bike. Interesting thoughts on riding?
http://www.bicycling.com/training-nutrition/training-fitness/find-something

God not so angry in the OT: The Law

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Jesus summed up the Torah in two statements: Love God, Love people… I took the time to read Leviticus and Deuteronomy back to back… The theme? Love God, Love people.

Thinking on Jesus fulfilling the law
One aspect of Jesus fulfilling the law the law we often miss is Love God, Love people. Seriously. Jesus made it his mission to point people to God the Father, not himself. Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice so we might, through him, have a relationship with God and better relationships with each other. Love God, Love people. The law is more that the 600+ commands. It boils down to the big 2….

Write your own law
Write or think through your own law… What are the non-negotiables? What are the annoyances? What are the paths of reconciliation? What are the deal-breakers? How do you show and actively help the dis-advantaged? How do you show hospitality? While we may gawk and the huge 600+ some odd commands, the number doesn’t seem so huge when you start adding up your own decrees. Now that you have your own law written down, who does it serve: you or others?

Absolute perfection and absolute holiness
The law points to the necessity of Christ and the reality of what God being holy means. For example: I have an eye defect at birth. Based on this one defect, if I were a Levite, I would not be permitted to sacrifice. My youngest son has eczema, he would not be able to sacrifice either. God did not want any imperfection in His presence. With that in view, how significant is Jesus touching and healing the lame, blind, lepers, and prostitutes? Jesus fulfilled the absolutes and provided for the imperfects like you and I!

The bottom line:
I think we misunderstand God in the Old Testament. In looking at the 600+ commands, it made provision for the disadvantage, for mistakes, and for evil. It deals much with human conflict and depravity. Perhaps it is not so much that God is vindictive as it is people are depraved and do not want to repent. Take a look at your own “law.” Who does it serve, yourself, or focus on others? God rooted the Law in His nature  and the service of others. Love God, Love people.

Provision through perseverance

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Often people state one’s need to enter the desert before God uses them. Others put it as God needing to break someone before using them. After reading through Proverbs 1-5, I wonder if we have it backwards. What if the desert is God’s provision?

Wisdom as an active pursuit
Proverbs chapter 1 details how we should actively pursue wisdom. It states how the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Proverbs also contrasts the destructive end of foolishness and the emptiness of naïvety. The last statement brings out the biggest issue: “But he who listens to me shall live securely and will be at ease from the dread of evil.” Thus begins the perseverance resulting in provision pattern.

Perseverance results in provision
The formula of Proverbs states if you actively pursue wisdom, it will give you life. For example:

Perseverance
Proverbs 3:1- “My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments.”

Provision
Proverbs 3:2- “For length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you.

Wisdom takes perseverance to posses. It is more an act than a possession. Wisdom does not come by chance. Wisdom is not absorbed. One must pursue it and live it. Keep wisdom through the challenges of life, and it become yours. It takes listening, pondering, treasuring, and keeping wisdom to get it. Wisdom is forged and realized through hardship.

Fear God
Both wisdom and knowledge start with the fear of the Lord. It is here that we come to the desert. In reading through the persevering for wisdom followed by provision, it makes sense that God would use the desert. Desert moments bring clarity of thought, aptness to listen, and they confront our finite mortality.

While the desert is a life and death struggle, it is also fertile ground for transformational growth. Given the statements at the start of Proverbs, my perspective on the desert changed. The purpose of the desert is not God breaking us. The purpose of the desert is God providing for us. At the end of the desert is provision. The most essential provision God gives us through the desert is knowledge of Himself.

The bottom line:
For wisdom, perseverance leads to provision. It is by going through the desert that we obtain life. To avoid this seeming paradox we can be easily taken by naïvety or foolishness. Persevering through the desert provides us the start of life and theology. God is God, and we are not.

Manic Monday: Numbers

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This is my 100th post! So, here are some brief reflections on numbers.

Number mean things. For instance:

100- perfection, century, old splendid.

50- golden years, jubilee, let’s party and all that’s nifty.

7- a week, perfection and luck, though in years soon coming heaven.

6- combined thrice scares people, not nice with its evil tricks.

5- a work week, and up high, a gimme jive.

1- perfection and single, top of all that’s fun.

Numbers mean things. We list them. We celebrate them. We dread them. We stack them. We count them. We remember them. Don’t let numbers pass you by and remember to focus on what’s #1.

(Especially on Monday)

Linx & Stuff

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Playing the God card: Are we too loose with the statement ‘God told me…’?
http://networkedblogs.com/8f13t

Interesting article on social Media
http://gigaom.com/collaboration/you-can-stop-the-social-media-hype/

I didn’t know 1,300-2,000 sq. ft. was a cozy cottage. Is big always better?
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2010/09/cozy-cottages-sell-big-live-small/1

A helpful resource when you’re away from your normal computer.
http://www.crosswalk.com/